As is known in the art, radar sensors are increasingly being used within automobiles and other vehicles to provide information to drivers about target structures and vehicles in a vicinity of the automobiles. Radar sensors may be programmed to perform functions such as blind spot detection (BSD), lane change assist (LCA), cross traffic alert (CTA), and others to enhance safety and driver awareness on the road.
The existence of foreign matter or objects on a radar such as an automotive radar sensor can impact the accuracy and reliability of the radar. For example, the foreign matter or objects may undesirably block one or more portions of the radar sensor transmit and/or receive antennas and, in particular, may block portions of the RF energy propagating to and from the transmit and receive antennas of the radar sensor. Such blockage may be the result of an accumulation of foreign matter or objects in the region of an antenna aperture. One existing technique for detecting blockages involves using multiple radar sensors having overlapping field-of-view (FOVs).